A group of educators on one of the malaga in Vaiafai Iva, Samoa Photo: Supplied
A long-running education initiative has given hundreds of New Zealand teachers a chance to experience life in a Samoan village and also become more aware of the different learning needs of Pasifika students.
Leali'ie'e Dr Tufulasi Taleni, a senior education lecturer at the University of Canterbury, has taken a group of educators to his village - Vaiafai Iva - for almost 20 years.
He has run the malaga (trip) from 2003 to 2019, before it stopped because of Covid-19. Another week-long trip is planned for 2025.
Leali'ie'e said he got the idea from visiting various schools in New Zealand and seeing a need for Pasifika education outcomes to improve.
"I realised there's a challenge there. There's a lot of issues, regarding what schools, leadership and teachers in schools are trying to do to meet the learning outcomes for Pasifika," he said.
"It is not simple.
"What I found out in those early years in that role was it was a challenge for teachers to be able to engage with Pacific students."
He said Pacific children bring a different set of values and experiences to the classroom that teachers are often unfamiliar with.
"I was inspired by many other academics with their research around Pacific education and what teachers, principals, leaders in schools and even the community need to do to what I call 'untangle the tangled net' of Pacific engagement, disengagement and achievement in education."
Leali'ie'e said about 95 percent of the teachers had not been exposed to Pasifika culture - with most educators coming from the South Island which has smaller Pacific populations.
"It was very much a gateway for these educators to taste for the first time the culture."
Senior education lecturer at the University of Canterbury, Leali'ie'e Dr Tufulasi Taleni Photo: Supplied
Leali'ie'e said he spent a lot of time back in Samoa to set the environment for the teachers.
He said it had changed teachers' practices in the classroom.
"The findings have been amazing; I'm moved by the voices of some of these teachers and principals.
"They often send messages back with words of gratitude for what the project has done and a difference it has made to their pedagogical practices in the classroom."
Leali'ie'e said those in the village also enjoyed hosting the palagi teachers.
"They can actually see a wonderful opportunity to exchange those cultures and they can also see the opportunity for these teachers to advocate for Samoan values."
He said the palagi teachers contributed by sharing their teaching skills especially around literacy.
For 2025, Leali'ie'e, alongside some of his colleagues, will visit schools involved in the project and hold a final malaga. A documentary featuring participants talking about the impact of the initiative will also be made.
However, Leali'ie'e, who is turning 65 next year, hoped someone else would pick up the project after he retires.
